To save time and/or money, companies are seeking to deploy commercial consumer customer shipments by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which may be automated or remotely controlled, often called drones. One commonly accepted concept for deliveries by a UAV is for the UAV to land, release the package, and then take off. Another commonly accepted concept is for the UAV to stop, hover above the delivery destination, lower the package from the UAV to the ground using a line or tether, release the package, retract the tether, and then take off. Both concepts have inherent disadvantages. Landing a UAV requires vertical motion, a clear landing path, release of payload, and take-off or rising to an altitude where the flight path can be resumed. The dual path (down and up) vertical motion requires energy that reduces overall vehicle range. Tethering eliminates the need for landing and take-off—saving some energy and increasing range, but still requires some down and up motion due to practical limitations on the tether length. Further, tethering devices are complex and are prone to mechanical malfunction. They also add weight, again reducing vehicle range. Also, if the tether is long and lightweight, it may flail about after the package is released and become entangled in the surrounding environment, such as trees, bushes, outdoor or lawn furniture, etc. Further, these two concepts are only viable for a UAV which has no horizontal motion, that is, its motion is limited to hovering, going up, and going down. Thus, these two concepts are not usable with fixed wing UAVs.
Generally accepted concepts regarding delivery by UAV also include delivery of products in standardized containers, such as corrugated cardboard boxes, to provide for ease and/or standardization of handling, and for some protection of the contents. The container, however, adds weight and may add substantial wind resistance, which reduce the range of the UAV, add cost in the form of the container, and may add logistics complexity if the containers are intended to be returned.